


How About a Game of Pool?

by gioviale



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Date, Flirting, Fluff, Hunter's Moon, Innuendo, M/M, One Shot, S2 Trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8945641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gioviale/pseuds/gioviale
Summary: “Let’s have you go first then, just so I can size up how…good you are with a cue.” And he was good – excellent, actually – Magnus would give him that. Alec approached each shot with the focus of a warrior, which made sense, now that Magnus had time to think while Alec concentrated on his next move. As Alec leaned towards the cue ball with the cue stick firmly in his hands – Magnus pictured the archer’s graceful stance, pulling back the string of his bow and releasing the arrow – and the 8-ball goes for the corner pocket, with the cue ball rolling steadily back to its original position. Or how I imagine the first date to be like, with fluffy, sweet-without-trying Alec and incessant-flirting Magnus.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first fic - ever. The byproduct of my brain in fever literally, I'm down with the flu. I'm on Tumblr at malecisright. It's a new account, just because I got tired of keeping all the malec love in my Liked Posts just so I don't spam my followers. Hit me up, I don't bite!

Magnus saw everything. The tension in Alec’s shoulder the moment he stepped through the door, the hesitant shuffling of his feet as he maneuvered his way across the tables towards Magnus once he caught his eye and the slightly bowed head as he ignored the questioning stares from the other patrons of the dimly lit bar. Magnus was beginning to regret his choice of Hunter’s Moon for their first date and was about to suggest an alternate venue when Alec stood in front of him and smiled…if you could call that nervous twitch at the corner of his lips a smile.

“Hey, Magnus,” Alec’s eyes darted around for a few more seconds before settling on Magnus’ eyes and for a moment, everything around Magnus shifted into place and it felt…right. He took a deep breath and returned a reassuring smile, which was, truth to be told, meant more for himself than for Alec.

“Hi Alexander, glad you could make it. Let’s start the night off with some drinks, shall we?” Magnus clapped his hands together and kept his tone light. He noticed the slight hesitation in Alec’s eyes and something clicked in his mind. Magnus leaned back and spoke with a light wave of his hand, “If you’re worried about getting too buzzed for an impromptu mission, you could go for something light. How about a beer?” The thankful look and slight nod he received from Alec gave him that slight boost of confidence he needed to slid off his stool and head towards the bartender to place their orders.

As Magnus waited at the bar for their drinks, he couldn’t help but let his eyes rove back to where Alec was seated. Alec was dressed in his usual black gear, topped with his leather jacket. _Ever the responsible shadowhunter, always ready for action_ , Magnus’ mind supplied. He was glad he picked out a relatively neutral outfit for today, he was right to assume Alec wouldn’t want the extra attention. Magnus fiddled with the grey scarf loosely wrapped around his neck as he figured out his next line of action, determined to make it an enjoyable night for the both of them.

 

As he strolled back to their table with drinks in his hands, he caught a glimpse of the jukebox in the corner. He placed their drinks on the tabletop and walked past his seat. He lifted his index finger as he caught Alec’s gaze dart between him and the bar stool, and sauntered towards the machine, humming a tune that he was all too used to. He let experienced fingers run through the playlist and picked his go-to song before swaying back to Alec, whose eyes stayed on him all this while. He slid onto his bar stool gracefully, the familiar tune playing in the background soothing his nerves and he was back in his element.

“I took the liberty and ordered the lightest beer on the menu for you, I hope you don’t mind,” Magnus started as he pushed the mug over to Alec while picking up his cocktail glass.

“Of course not, it’s perfect,” Alec gave a quick glance at the mug before picking it up and bringing it towards Magnus’ glass, “Cheers, to us.”

Magnus was surprised by Alec’s forwardness but managed to join the toast with a quick nod, bringing his glass to his lips while keeping his eyes on the man in front of him. Alec took a bigger gulp than necessary, wincing slightly as the liquid hit his tongue, bringing Magnus’ mind back to the first time they shared a drink at his loft. The uncertainty in Alec’s eyes as Magnus bared his heart for the first time in centuries and the eventual smile with the promise of another drink for the night.

How things have changed since then.

“Thank you for this Magnus, all of this. It’s a…nice place,” Alec placed his mug down and looked casually around the bar. His gaze shifted slowly to meet Magnus’, “I’m glad you asked me out. I’ve thought about what you said, you know, about how the war around us should not stop us from caring about people we want to care about. And I-I want to care for you.”

Alec’s eyes immediately casted down towards his lap, his left hand instinctively reaching up to the rune on his neck, where he rubbed absently. Magnus felt a rush of affection for the sweet man as he reached for Alec’s right hand, hovering slightly before covering it with his.

“Oh Alexander, you have nothing to thank me for. It is my pleasure, to have a tall, dark and handsome man to share a drink with tonight. You know how I hate drinking alone,” Magnus sent a flirtatious wink as he withdrew his hand. Alec’s eyes lingered where their hands were connected before, with his head slightly tilted and it was so endearing and adorable and-

“How about a game of pool?” Magnus blurted out.

“I mean, I don’t know if you play pool, what with your strict shadowhunter training regime…”

“Sure. Sounds fun,” Alec shrugged as he slipped off his seat, sparing a glance to make sure Magnus was following him as he headed towards the pool table at the back of the bar. _He never fails to amaze me_ , Magnus shook his head and gave a private smile as he stared at Alec’s broad shoulders as he led the way.

 

The pool table was already set up and Magnus picked up two cues, passing one to Alec and set to go about explaining the rules to Alec. However, before he could begin, Alec shuffled closer to the table and picked up a cue chalk, eyes sparkling mischievously as he said, “I know the rules,” and at Magnus’ look of surprise, he added, “Izzy likes to play, so Jace and I had to go along just so she won’t have to play alone.”

“Ah, Isabelle, ever the influence,” Magnus teased, “Let’s have you go first then, just so I can size up how…good you are with a cue.”

And he was good – excellent, actually – Magnus would give him that. Alec approached each shot with the focus of a warrior, _which made sense_ , now that Magnus had time to think while Alec concentrated on his next move. As Alec leaned towards the cue ball with the cue stick firmly in his hands – Magnus pictured the archer’s graceful stance, pulling back the string of his bow and releasing the arrow – and the 8-ball goes for the corner pocket, with the cue ball rolling steadily back to its original position.

 _Wait, the 8-ball?_ Magnus narrowed his eyes as he realised that he was at a disadvantage; with the cue ball and the 9-ball forming a straight line with the corner pocket, it was an easy shot and Alec was not about to miss that. He was unconscious of the pout that appeared on his face, until he caught a glimpse of Alec looking at him with a playful smirk – _a smirk, how dare he_! His competitive streak caught on and he pushed himself off where he was leaning against the bar.

“I’m impressed, Alexander. I knew you were a sharpshooter from the start, seeing how you hit my heart on the bullseye at the first glance,” Magnus purred, as he shimmied slightly, throwing in a raised eyebrow just for the right amount of emphasis – and there it was.

Alec’s cheeks were tinged pink and he opened his mouth to respond but before he could get a word out –

“It’s getting a little hot, isn’t it?” Magnus scrunched his eyebrows a little and slid the grey scarf off his shoulder onto the pool table, leaning forward, looking around and fanning himself innocently. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Alec swallow as he stole a glimpse at the sliver of skin down his exposed chest, where the scarf had previously covered the plunging neckline of his shirt. He let loose a devious smirk when he saw Alec struggle to tear his eyes away and focus on his face – and who could fault Alec for the sharp inhale he took when he saw that Magnus’ eyes were gleaming gold, with a sharp slit where each iris should be. Magnus put up the glamour in an instant, satisfied with the distraction he had caused.

It took a few moments before Alec caught on to Magnus’ shenanigans. He frowned and for a second Magnus thought he had crossed the line. However, the chuckle that slipped through Alec’s lips assured Magnus that he was more than willing to play along.

“You’re not playing fair here.”

“Oh, Alexander, all’s fair in love and war. Besides, I’m not using magic, I think I’m being pretty _fair_ ,” Magnus supplied as he leaned further over the pool table, “Don’t mind me, I just wanted to have a closer look at how you take your shot. It’s… _inspiring_ , to say the least, what you can do with that stick of yours.”

 _He is so easy to tease_ , Magnus thought as Alec groaned while giving Magnus a playful glare. He scrubbed his face with his free hand and attempted to refocus but as he readied himself to strike, Magnus lurched forward in one smooth movement on the edge of the pool table like a panther, granting Alec a full view of what was underneath his shirt and Alec barely managed to hit the cue ball, missing the 9-ball entirely.

Alec’s flush spread down his neck as Magnus gave a low whistle. He lifted his torso from the pool table in one torturously slow movement, “I guess it’s finally my turn.”

Magnus walked over to Alec’s side of the pool table, brushing his arm slightly as he passed him, revelling in the small shiver he felt more than saw. As Magnus took his position, he felt Alec shift behind him. He turned his head and eyed him suspiciously but Alec just shrugged and gave an innocent shake of his head while keeping his arms crossed over his chest. Magnus barely managed to hide his smirk before he looked back at the pool table, _he’s making this way too easy for me_.

Magnus mentally calculated the angle and the amount of strength to use, eyes trained on the cue ball in front. As he leaned forward to prepare, he sensed Alec taking a step closer to him, his thigh brushing against the fabric of his pants and he smirked knowingly. Magnus arched his back more than necessary, torso almost touching the pool table and leaned his ass towards Alec’s thigh. Alec stepped back with a gasp, startled, and Magnus struck the cue ball with precision and pocketed the 9-ball.

Magnus pushed himself off the pool table with the relaxed grace of a cat after a nap and spun to look at Alec – and what a sight he was. Alec was flushed from neck down, with eyes blown wide open and staring at his right thigh. His eyes snapped up to Magnus when he cleared his throat and he quickly looked away, right hand stroking his thigh slowly like it stung.

“L-let’s go again,” Alec stuttered out, still looking away. When the silence dragged a little too long, he turned and saw Magnus’ raised eyebrow and quirked lips. Alec’s eyes widened with realisation and he added breathlessly, “I mean, er, pool.” Magnus, high on the euphoria of his victory, glided over to where he left his scarf and slid it back over his neck.

“I think we’ve had quite enough of _that_. How about more drinks at my loft?” Magnus said as he fiddled absentmindedly at his scarf, rearranging it to sit perfectly over his chest as he walked back to stand next to Alec, shoulder touching his. He felt Alec tense up next to him, and looked over to see Alec hunched in with his head down, mumbling about how it wasn’t a good idea and he had to get back to the Institute. Magnus placed his hand on Alec’s cheek lightly and tilted his face up to meet his, eyes soft and pleading, “Just drinks, I promise. Do you trust me?”

Alec looked questioningly into his eyes and after a second, he nodded, shoulders relaxing and leaning slightly into Magnus’ touch. Magnus cupped his face and brushed his thumb across his cheekbone for a moment, before sliding his hand down, brushing Alec’s shoulder and arm, finally landing on his hand where he gripped his fingers loosely. Magnus laughed quietly in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere and said, “Why don’t you tell me how you got so good at pool; you must have had a lot of practice. Wait, do you have a pool table at the Institute?”

Alec turned his hand around and slid his palm into Magnus’ while looking at him with a quiet smile.  
“It’s getting crowded here, I’ll tell you more when we get back. Shall we?”

Magnus never felt more enamoured; he knew he fell fast, but this was barely their first date and he felt such hope and joy merely from holding Alec’s hand in his. Magnus Bane, you are so done for this time. He tilted his head slightly towards the door and they walked towards the exit, hearts warm and full with the promise of a long night ahead.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate all feedback - come at me, I'm a big girl, I can handle it. ;)


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